the power of art

Saturday night, a few of Marcus' coworkers and their families came over for some pelau (a Trinidadian rice-and-chicken dish). They kindly brought a few other dishes to go with it (special shout-out to the creamed-cheese-stuffed-jalapeños-wrapped-in-bacon, because good Lord), some wines and a very good bottle of rum, so needless to say, a good time was had by all.

By 11 pm the adults were well-lubricated, so Sean and his two kids, all three of whom are incredibly musical, grabbed my old guitar and treated us to an impromptu concert.

I love it when art just happens to fall in your lap. Especially when you're watching it being made right before your very eyes.

Story of the day ... but first, some background: David McGee is a an acclaimed artist, and one of those people in my past who was once a really important friend to me, if only for a brief amount of time. I met him with a small group of friends one evening in the 90s at a restaurant bar. They were all artists -- I remember one was a fashion designer and another a photographer -- and being an engineer/lawyer (and so new to my camera that I wouldn't have dared call myself a photographer), their artistic spirits blew my mind.

For a few months I hung out with all of them, simply soaking up all their creative energy -- energy which they generously gave, sharing their processes and their work with me. And then, as sometimes happens, we drifted apart, likely because my own law career was picking up, and too many business trips back-to-back made it difficult for me to connect with them very often. But I'll forever be grateful to David and his friends for awakening me to the idea that life could be lived more creatively.

A couple of days ago, I found this recent video of David, answering the question, "what is your favourite work of art?" In it, he says he can't pick just one, but then goes on to describe an almost religious experience he had when he laid eyes on one particular piece in Europe. I thought his story was captivating, and so I share it with you now.

Click here, or the image below to watch.